Arthur Article

[friarwolf]

I am glad we got B-Hop and would be happy if we got the second tier stars that play high school ball around here. My point is the top tier teams knew he had major holes in his game - enough so that they had him on their back up lists. He plays the point in an out of fashion way which is he wants to score first, score second, pass third, and save himself for the offensive end of the court. If you are Iverson, fine but B-Hop is not Iverson. Successful teams have points that run the offense first, play defense, and score when need be. B-Hop dominated in high school because he was physically superior to the kids he played against. He went to the hole at will and could shoot from the outside occasionally. He can't do that at the college level - not against quality competiton. Tubbs knows this - that's why he was [deleted] him last year and rightfully so. B-Hop got told this when he declared for the draft. He is in a long line of gifted players for SMU like Sasser and Ross who play a selfish brand of basketball that ultimately hurts the team. Instead of killing the clock when we are ahead, they jack 3's and give the other team a chance to come back. Anybody remember the TCU and Tulsa games several years ago when we had the game won and let them come back because we jacked 3's, ran no time off the clock, and let the other team make their shots?

Anyway, I think Tubbs understands this and that's why he was [deleted] B-Hop. We've got to get kids who are committed to playing team ball, playing defense, and running an offense. Superstars are nice but give me good fundamental players who will bring defense and rebounding every night. We need opponents walking off the floor with bruises and red whelps on them. Put that kind of commitment along with a good offense and we'll get healthy in a hurry. Coach K does very well with this, Knight and Sampson, too and we can as well - on a lesser level of course.

[PerunaRaider]

You are a complete idiot calling Ross a selfish ball player. He personified the grit and dedication needed to dominate the most selfless area of basketball, defense. Quinton did have a offensive game, but b/c of B-Hop's prima donna style of play he didnt fulfill his potential. It was an honor to watch Q and I am glad he was a Mustang.

[Charleston Pony]

I will 2nd that comment. Hopefully he meant to say Sasser and Davis...not Ross.

And...if Willingham gives us the true point we've been looking for, let's just see how BHop does at the 2 guard. We may see some 3 guard sets as matchups allow with Roberts filling that 3rd guard spot.

[Hoop Fan]

must have been a typo, there was absolutely nothing selfish about Q Ross's game.

[Stallion]

Ross was not a selfish player-hell he should have been more aggresive if anything. Surely he meant Willie Davis who insisted on jacking up 3s why shooting 20% and cost SMU an NCAA appearance with his attempt to showboat in the Tulsa game. SMU had that game won until Wille D pulled off one of the biggest bonehead plays in SMU BB history.

[Roach]

.... Tubb's reputation for being a great recruiter has definitely been put into doubt over the last few seasons....

The last few seasons? He's been a head coach for one season, and it looks like his first recruiting class, while not necessarily loaded with marquee names, might be pretty darn good. That remains to be seen.
And the main reason Coach Sampson hired Coach Tubbs as his assistant was because of Coach T's recruiting ability and connections. The day Coach Tubbs was hired by SMU, some media wonk got ahold of Coach Sampson and asked his thoughts about SMU hiring Coach Tubbs. I don't remember all the exact quotes, but he was very complimentary, as you would expect from a man of Coach Sampson's character when watching one of his assistants get his first head coaching job.
The one quote I do remember was the last thing Coach Sampson said: "Recruiting Dallas-Fort Worth just got a whole lot harder for the rest of us."

[due]

Friar/peruna/charleston,

In Ross's only year with bhop, Q posted his highest number of shot attempts in his career by a large margin; Q also posted his highest scoring average that year; and nearly equaled his best shooting % despite the record number of shots. This means: Hop helped Q reach his full "potential" as measureed by numbers that dont lie and even more if you consider the attention hop got from defenses (despite being injured all year). Frankly, Q exceeded everyone's expectations as most people who played during his time (aau and high school) do not think his game is that special. He is certainly not thought of as a dallas hoops legend by any means and is very fortunate to be where he is today.

Second, Hop is not a "prima-donna".... 1. He sacrificed superstar acclaim by coming to SMU primarily for the sake of his brother (who will surprise everyone this year) 2. He plays hurt and does not complain about it (plus he has yet to complain about the poor program Dement ran or the drop-off in talent he was surrounded with at SMU compared to his highschool team) 3. He dishes out very good assists numbers and his turnovers will be less this year as he will be surrounded by a substantial upgrade in talent and will no longer rely on the likes of a Brian Miller to help him against defenses that are focused on stopping him. 4. For a pg, and for someone who has had to carry many substandard teammates, his shooting % is good and is close to even Q's.

FW- your argument that he is not suited for the d-1 level talent he faces makes no sense when you consider the people he dominated in HS and in his AAU days. For ex, he dropped 33 on the Colony - a team that featured four big time D-1 players, including the 3rd pick of the Draft this year, Deron williams and Bracey Wright (another stud that got sold short by his school's situation and was 3x as good as Deron was and still is. Also, Hop got top accolades at the national tournaments and camps he attended alongside the nation's best players. 4. You say Hop "plays the point in odd fashion... score first, pass third, save himself for offense" - Hop has incredible vision, makes incredible passes routinely and makes players like Castro and Simpson contribute more than their abilities suggest. If Hop was only surrounded my more Q-level players, he would like nothing more than use his uncanny passing abilities to make his teammates better, as he did for Q. Who can blame him for not wanting to kick it out to the Brian Millers and Ishams of the world, especially when he carries a strong shooting %. Also, Hop uses his wingspan and quickness to post very good steal numbers - I cant recall a game in which e has ever been a defenisve liability as you assert. Plus he rebounds well and even blocks a few shots - bottom line, hop is not the type of player your describing.

finally fW, your wish for hard nosed players doesnt make sense imo. SMU, the last 3-4 years, has had pretty tough players. Bhop dominating with a surgical mask on his face comes to mind along with the gritty play of Castro and Simpson. You could make a case that SMU needs a better conditioning program (and Tubbs supposively is privy to this need) - instead, you should state that SMU could use more skilled players as toughness has not been a glaring factor.

Tubbs would be wise to adapt to the games of Hop and Dez W. and install a more run and gun type style. SMU will never beat more talented teams by playing the simple style of offense that you suggest - SMU needs to utilize the unique talents of the roster instead of forcing the roster to play a style that is limiting just for the sake of playing a certain style. Think if the UT football coaches told VInce Young to be a pro-style quarterback and not improvise - TX would have had a losing record if this were so. Any right-minded coach, and even Mack Brown, knows you have to create a style that reflects a team's abilities - I hope Tubbs figures this out.

Oh yeah, saying BHOp was a backup plan for coaches when he came out of HS is so far from accurate that I am starting to wonder why I took this much time to reply to your post.

[LA_Mustang]

ANYONE who claims Q was a selfish player for the Ponies instantly loses credibility.

[friarwolf]

Call off the dog piling. Meant Davis, not Ross. Right up front I said I am happy we got BHop. But the inside word was he would not be able to use his body to overpower people as he did in high school and that his outside shot was inconsistent. He was a scorer in high school, not necessarily a shooter and needed to be a better floor general. That's all proven to be true - Tubbs said that last year.

As far as toughness, I said tough team defense along with a good offense. IMO, that is missing. We allow too many uncontested shots, too many drives in the lane, not much blocking out, and very little show and recover. Defense and rebounding is there every night - shooting comes and goes. That's my point, we don't have superstars that can dominate on sheer athleticism and probably never will - but a nice offense that takes advantage of who we have along with " in your shorts" defense can take us up several levels.

I am looking forward to seeing what Dez and BHop can do as a tandem. If Dez can run the team and free BHop to apply his talents, it could be fun.

[jtstang]

As far as toughness, I said tough team defense along with a good offense. IMO, that is missing. We allow too many uncontested shots, too many drives in the lane, not much blocking out, and very little show and recover. Defense and rebounding is there every night - shooting comes and goes. That's my point, we don't have superstars that can dominate on sheer athleticism and probably never will - but a nice offense that takes advantage of who we have along with " in your shorts" defense can take us up several levels.

Amen, brother.

Sometimes you can't buy a bucket, but you can kick @ss on D every night of the week.

[gregl]

A year ago, I posted a message about my cousin, Quinton Ross. As you all know, Q did an excellent job last year with the Clippers and his defense was amazing, especially considering that he was a rookie. I advised Q about what I read in this forum and let him know that people from SMU were supporting him.

Over the last month, Q has been busy with his return back to the LA area and his family. He also played a few games in Vegas in the summer league. He is doing well and looking forward to this season.

I spent last weekend in Dallas, visiting with family, including Q's parents and brothers. While there, we (my family and I) also spent time with my wife's other uncle. His name is Anthony, and he is Darrell's father. Since I haven't seen it posted in any forums, I don't think most are aware that Q's dad and Darrell's dad are brothers. I don't know if Q's former school will factor into Darrell's school decision, but you never know. From what I understand, Darrell is looking at several schools, but also has a desire to stay local. So, only time will tell. I spoke with Darrell, but not about college choices. Unfortunately, I had to catch a plane and he had to catch a nap after returning from Vegas and LA.

So, I don't know if this makes anyone feel luckier about getting Slim Shady to sign with SMU, but I just thought I would add my two cents. Regardless, I don't think that Darrell will spend more than a year in college before making the big leap to the NBA.

[Hoop Fan]

Is Q signed with the Clips for a few years? I hope he got a good contract. Didnt the Clips just release a player who would have competed with Q for time? Dunleavy seems to be high on our man Q. If Slim Shady comes to SMU for even one year, that would give Coach Tubbs and SMU a big boost.

[PK]

Thanks gregl for the update on Quinton and the rest of your report too. YES...we support Q and wish only the best for him. Thanks again.

[gregl]

Yes, if I remember correctly, Q got 2 years guaranteed and the 3rd is an option. As far as the Clippers recent release of Kittles is concerned, it does provide more time for Q. However, Kittles was primarily an offensive minded player where Q comes in for defense. Time and time again, Dunleavy called upon Q to shut down the opponents fastest player. So, even though the release of Kittles is good for other guards, I don't think it will affect his playing time much. Q will still be called in for what he does best...mess up the opposing team's plans.

I actually haven't seen Q in a few months since he went back to Dallas. I missed him last weekend, because he was busy in LA setting up his new home. I will most likely see him in the next month and if I learn anything new that I can disseminate on this forum, I will.

[PonyFan]

gregl: Q is probably the most universally loved basketball player at SMU in years. He is as smart, tough, unselfish as classy a young man as I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. And I promise PonyFans will cheer just as loud for Darrell — he NEEDS to come to SMU!

I thought I'd read that Q was a free agent. Glad I'm wrong.